Has Amazon already started work on the Stargate movie?
Well… it is difficult to say. Amazon are notoriously careful with information. SciTrek has been very lucky to get access to information from behind the iron curtain that Amazon like to employ to stop leaks. We hear lots of little bits of information but very little we can confirm so be forewarned, this article is rumor… but perhaps where there is enough smoke, there is a fire?
What we do think we do know though, through our sources at SciTrek and other MGM insiders speaking out, is that Amazon have decided on doing a Stargate movie and that before the strikes happened, the plan was for filming to start late summer or early Winter this year. Remember that time frame… it’s important.
So what is being whispered in our ears?
Well a source came forward a month or so ago saying he thinks he saw props on a sound stage in Poland where he was working. he was working on another part of the lot and cannot be certain what he saw and has been very clear to say that. He said he was actually quite confused by what he saw at the time because he did not know Stargate revival was even being talking about. He got home and researched a little and came across the SciTrek YouTube channel so decided to get in touch.
So they asked I didn’t share this and I have left out much of the detail to protect their identity but they do say when they return to the site they will try and find out more… We wish them luck.
But that is not all of the information we are getting
Another source came forward a few months previously and said that they were aware that a German special effects company had been approached by MGM to complete work on an unspecified (at the time) project. They were being asked to complete 3 months or so work on initial CGI content and then further work later. This contract was supposed to begin around August and remember that time frame we mentioned earlier, late Summer of late Winter?
My understanding is that this would be initial very basic CGI before filming so the Director and actor have something you work off on stage, and then the full rendering and detail to the CGI is done later.
Now this is interesting because if it is true and filming is going to be happening in Poland, it would make sense that the CGI work would be done in Germany, close by.
Now apart I would not think to share this information, both are from sources I don’t know well, I cannot confirm any of it, but together it is does start to build an interesting possibility… So I set about trying to get some sort of confirmation.
Firstly I have to say there is no filming going on and that is not what the sources or I am saying. We are not at at stage yet. So I spoke to several sources that I do know are close to Amazon and MGM and tried to get a feeling for what is really going on. One source came back to me. I should say I had not shared the rumors with them before we spoke.
The source confided in me that through their work they were aware that MGM had in fact started spending money on the Stargate project, a project that we believe will be a straight to cinema movie. The source said that this spending was in the low millions already. Then though, and most importantly, the source stated that some work was being done in Eastern Europe but they knew no more than that.
This was the confirmation, at least in part, that we wanted
So this is still thin I know, it is not a smoking gun, but it is 3 separate sources saying basically the same thing, but from very different perspectives.
Once I shared what I knew with the source they were able to fill in some of the blanks. They stated that in their opinion what the contract to do the CGI made total sense, these things are planned months in advance of filming, the companies are often not given much detail until closer to the time and that due to the strikes they were sure those arrangements would not have been moved. So that planned work fits with the plan Amazon had earlier in the year for a filming schedule, but what about the sets the original source says they saw?
Well my source close to MGM and Amazon stated that those were probably early mock ups. Now I don’t work in the entertainment industry, I do not know how it works, so the source explained that these would be very early set works. Quite cheaply built, nothing like what would be needed eventually for actual filming but needed to test the stage parts. For functioning set pieces for exaple, like a Stargate with moving parts, the set designers need to build initial mock ups, see how it all works, make sure it will be about the right size, check materials they use are up to the job etc. Basically they need to make sure that when the actual filming starts the major set pieces both look good and most importantly… WORK!
The source went onto say that this work takes months and almost never gets reported. It can be done very quietly with very few people involved and can be done without anyone really noticing. Thanks to one eagle eyed SciTrek viewer though we did notice.
Now this is just their opinion, the source has no direct knowledge of what the money has been spent on up until now, just that is has been spent but with the other information we are getting it does start to build a picture that is quite convincing.
So where are we now?
Well the strikes in Hollywood has basically meant that everything is on hold. My understanding is that all the studios, including Amazon and MGM, are using this time to reconsider lots of projects. All the studios are looking to cut costs over the next few years and we are seeing that in almost daily announcements of TV and movies getting cancelled, even shows and movies already made, but not yet shown, are being dropped from their streaming services. So we cannot say for certain what is going to happen but it does seem that Amazon is serious about bringing back Stargate and may have already started putting its plans into action.
So say it loud… #wewantstargate